Tips For Solo Travellers

Planning a trip alone? TMB’s tips for solo travellers should help you get prepared for your next solo adventure.

After months of hemming and hawing, you’ve finally decided to go for it and embark on your first solo trip. Exciting times are ahead! Whether it’s for a weekend or a year, travelling solo takes courage and you need to be as prepared as possible. These tips for solo travellers will get you ready for your adventure and help you feel at ease.

Plan your trip

Travellers are told time and time again that it’s best not to organise a trip too much and simply see where the wind takes you. While you may want to adjust your itinerary slightly depending on who you meet or where takes your fancy, it is definitely advisable to plan ahead as a solo traveller. Sorting out your accommodation and transport for the first stint of your journey will help to ease your mind before you set off. You can relax in the knowledge that, at the very least, you will be able to get from A to B and have a roof over your head. This leaves you with plenty of time to focus on the important stuff when your trip kicks off – meeting new people, embracing the local culture and making everyone at home mad with jealousy.

Meet other travellers

Solo travel is fantastic because it gives you total independence – you can develop an itinerary that suits your interests and incorporates your dream destinations without having to consult anyone else.  The downside of this is that many solo travellers experience, at one time or another, feelings of loneliness. This doesn’t have to be the case. Make an effort to meet like-minded people while you travel and you’ll be too busy having fun to think about what everyone is up to back home. Staying in hostels is a surefire way to meet fellow solo travellers. Try out apps such as Backpackr, Bumble Friends and Eatwith to make new friends in the different countries you visit. Or, if you’re a solo female traveller, why not join Girls LOVE Travel® and meet other women who will be travelling to the same location.

Stay connected

Stay connected with friends and family throughout your travels. Record your trip on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube to give your loved ones at home real insight into your everyday life on the road. However, do be mindful of what information you share and on what platforms. The internet has many eyes. Some solo travellers decide not to share in real-time on social media and instead share details about a destination after they’ve left to ensure maximum safety online.

Discover new hobbies

Remember that book you kept putting down because of a work assignment or that photography project that never took off due to time constraints? Now’s your chance! Travelling solo gives you the opportunity to relinquish old interests and discover new ones. Outside of the 9-5 routine, you’ll have plenty of time to focus on yourself and the things that make you happy. Signing up for group activities is effectively killing two birds with one stone – you meet fellow travellers while also focusing on your favourite pastime. Befriend a fellow foodie on that Italian cookery course, be pushed to your limits on that Peruvian trek or get your creative juices flowing on an Indian artists’ retreat.  The options really are endless!

Focus on the practicalities

Minimise the chance of something going wrong by taking all of the necessary precautions before you go. Make sure you have all of the vaccinations you require for your destination of choice. Nasty illnesses such as diphtheria,  rabies and typhoid are more commonplace than you’d think and your chances of catching these are much, much higher if you don’t get your vaccinations.  You really don’t want to find yourself in a foreign hospital bed feeling entirely alone. While you’re at it, get yourself a decent travel insurance that covers all of the length of your trip, countries you will be visiting and any specific activities you might end up doing. This is an absolute must for solo travellers who do not have a support system at hand.

Whether you’re making for the tropical islands of Thailand or interrailing your way across Europe, these useful tips will help to take the edge off your upcoming solo adventure. As clichéd as it sounds, travelling on your own will work wonders for your self-confidence and, with a little preparation, you’re sure to have an incredible time! Thank you for reading our blog ‘Tips For Solo Travellers’.  Solo travellers are advised to book an appointment at a TMB Clinic to find out more about vaccinations they may require and to get the best tips about how to travel safely.